We chatted to the co-founder of Enrich & Endure about design inspirations, Irish coffee, London and perfect weekends…

Tell us how your career within the homewares industry began? I have always been creative and driven towards design. I studied art at Manchester University but found my enthusiasm somewhat suppressed, it was there that I realised I didn’t really know what I wanted to do as a career. So I did what most confused creatives do in their early twenties and went travelling - learning new skills along the way.

Firstly, I worked for an interior designer for two years in Northern Ireland before moving to New Zealand where I worked for another interior designer and stylist. It was during my time in New Zealand that I finally realised what I wanted to – create a community of like-minded creative people to reinvent Irish products in a fresh and unique way. I decided to return home just 13 months ago.

Lorcan, who had taken a career break and also went off travelling, came to visit me in New Zealand six months previous. We came up with a plan together and decided to return to the nest in October 2013 and get cracking. Lorcan is from a business background, so we decided to combine both our skills and passions and work together to develop our own company. It has taken about a year to get off the ground, which has proven very hard work but extremely satisfying when we launched our website just seven months ago.

What makes Enrich & Endure different?Our signature look is block bright colours. Basically, we take traditional double damask patterns that date back centuries and respectfully redesign them by introducing vibrant colours and creative yarn blends, like weaving linen and wool together. We aim to reinvent Irish woven homewares and make them current and affordable for the younger market. The goal of the company is to offer products that both "Enrich" and "Endure" - this ethos is what we always focus on delivering! Our products are designed for everybody and are perfect as gifts, especially for new home buyers, wedding presents, birthday and Christmas Gifts.

Who or what inspires your designs? The inspirations for our collections and colourways always come from real life experience, especially personal memories. For example, the Harvest Collection comes from spending time living in the stunning lakeside town of Wanaka, New Zealand. The colourways and textures reflect the breathtaking scenery of the region.

Which colours should we be adding to our homes for AW14?Our AW14 colours are slate grey, royal navy, wine and fawn.

Favourite place to relax?Lorcan and I are both outdoor enthusiasts. We live just 20 minutes from the Mourne Mountains. We both love rock climbing and bouldering, so we spend a lot of time in the hills. I am training to be a yoga instructor and love cooking. Lorcan is a bit of an adrenaline junkie - loves to ski, mountain bike, wake board and will try his hand at any extreme sport going, but climbing is really what we both do most, it's our escape from the office and studio.

Can't live without?That's simple...coffee! We get our beans from a roasters in Dublin called 3FE - best coffee in Ireland.

Your proudest moment was?Our proudest moment would probably have to be receiving our first order seven months ago, after we first launched our website. It was a blue linen throw, going to Australia. When the DHL van drove away there was an overwhelming sense of pride amongst the team. From that moment, we knew there was no going back - we had a business and it actually worked!

Most stylish city?I know it's cliché but it would have to be London. I am also a big fan of Manchester after going to art college there and I'm pretty in love with Hong Kong. It's a crazy place with so much happening, full of fun and steeped in culture. Around every street corner there is a surprise.

Your perfect weekend includes… Perfect weekends are when the weather is kind and you can go up the mountains, be it to climb, walk, swim, camp or just ponder, it's hard to beat.

A tip for aspiring entrepreneurs?A great tip to take onboard is that mistakes will not end your business! You just have to learn from them and have faith in what you set out to achieve. If you are nimble and willing to listen to constructive criticism, you can excel by learning and evolving. If you get knocked down (which will happen at some stage or another) you just have to get back up again and keep going.